Geekiest Cupcakes Ever

Thanks to Wil Wheaton for sharing the linky love.  An evil genius woman named Robin Dahlberg made 100 cupcakes, each with a different game (board, video or otherwise) represented on top.  Her recipe appears to be mixing 1 cup awesome with 3 cups win and a tablespoon of epic.  Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.  Allow cooling time before consuming.

Enjoy.

Post Paddy Post

Sometimes as a parent, one has to learn how to adapt to changing plans and think on-the-fly. Yesterday was one such example. Kayleigh went to her friend's and Tyler decided to reschedule his Tae Kwon Do class for today and hit the sack early, so TFMD and I found ourselves at leisure for dinner. We'd originally planned pesto pasta for dinner (getting our green on), but at the last minute decided to head down to Edolyne Joe's. It was bustling but not crowded, and they had an awesome dinner special of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes with a honey-mustard sauce. Add a pint of Blue Moon draught and a shot of Jameson (and a Bailey's coffee for Rae), and we were happy little Celts.

And then we discovered the notes.

At Joe's, there are drawers in several of the antique tables. And folks scrawl little notes to leave behind for future dining guests to read. Many of them were romantic. Rae added one of her own.

We came home and got into our grubbies, then plopped down and watched Waking Ned Devine, which I'd never seen. I liked it. Rae's 3 for 4 so far.

Tonight is another round of Tae Kwon Do class, then dinner with a friend. And with that, Wednesday is done. The weekend approacheth!

Tuesday and the Gay Salsa Explosion

As I just explained in a very detailed email to TFMD, I crack me up.

Had an awesome weekend with the family. After TFMD awoke on Monday morning, I took her to brunch at Easy Street, and then we did the week's grocery shopping. We moved very slowly, as it was apparent finishing a bottle of port after several drinks at the concert was probably not the best decision. We made a pact to watch each other's back and practice a bit more temperance in the future.

The kids are home all this week for mid-winter break. Despite this, I am getting work done. Finished the audition side for a character in the first Duo short, for which we are casting this week.

I was about to head off to get a shower when a friend pinged me in instant messenger, so I stayed for a short conversation. At one point, however, I got a bit peckish, so I went to grab some chips and salsa. We get this nice, fresh, chunky stuff from the cold case at the QFC. And it lives on the top shelf of the fridge. And when I went to grab it, it slipped out of my fingers, off the shelf and came down on the kitchen floor, splitting the bottom open and spattering salsa everywhere. It looked like a bizarre crime scene. It was on my sweats (from neck to ankle), on the underside of the fridge drawers, on the cabinets across the kitchen. I would love to see a ballistics report on this particular murder.

So, after spending the next ten minutes cleaning said crime scene, I returned to the office, where my friend was wondering what had happened to me. The conversation proceeded, with me apologizing for the delay and assuring my friend that a salsa explosion, which sounds like it should be FUN, strangely was not. My friend then expressed sympathy over the incident, using the term "gay" in the perjorative (which I neither use nor condone, but am totally guilty of uttering "boss", "rad" and "bitchin'" upon occasion, because developmentally I'm still in 7th grade). I then mused how "Gay Salsa Explosion" sounded like a cultural event in south Florida. Kinda like Carnival, only... not.

Arriba.

Weekend Update, a Day Late

Yeah yeah. I know. But we've been busy.

Friday, we postponed movie night so that we could go see Bullshot Crummond at Youngstown. As expected, it was a four-bucket-o-cheese production. What's nice about Bullshot is that it's surgically bad, intentionally slap-dash, and it gives the actors opportunities to really ham it up and chew scenery for an hour and a half. And if any technical gaffes occur, they are easily masked due to the inherently low production values.

Plus, seeing Travis Pavey with a shaved head and Heidelberg scar was totally worth the price of admission. Awesome.

We came home and crashed straightaway. It had been a long, tiring week.

Saturday we slept in! Finally got up and cleaned a bit in preparation for Ron to come and shoot some family photos in the media room. We've got the holidays upon us, and needed to show off the change that's occurred in the lives of four individuals. And a cat. I'm not one for posed photos, thus Ron's ability to capture some really cool candid moments was a nice asset.

After Ron left, we cleaned and organized some more, and we may have wandered down to the mall for some exercise and house supplies. I put up a secondary clothes rod in the closet for Raechelle, a giant wall-hanging coat rack in the hallway between the kids' rooms and two smaller ones in the corner by the carport door for Rae and me. Doug and Ann came over, partly to get their fondue pot from the Halloween party and partly so that Doug could get Rae's computer on the network. Kayleigh got invited to stay the night with a friend who had been having a rough emotional time, and Tyler was going to spend the night at Miles' house, but that plan was squashed at the last minute, much to Tyler's dismay.

Ron and I had talked about going to see Quantum of Solace that evening while Raechelle was at her friend's bachelorette party, but I'd been fighting a bug and ended up staying home and watching Dogma with Tyler. Then he decided to hole up in his room, and I put in Rollerball and Eraserhead, which is kind of like marinating ribs in dish soap. But I hadn't seen either in years, so it was kind of a fun refresher. It reminded me that David Lynch has always been a mad genius, and although I retain a love-hate relationship with his work, I have to admit Henry Spencer would be a really cool (and easily done) Halloween costume. And the award for Most Obscure Reference goes to...

Rae came home just as the tree was gushing blood and the guys were drilling core samples from Henry's severed head. I decided I'd had enough weirdness for one night and turned Eraserhead off, and we went straight to bed.

Sunday morning, Rae slept in while I went to coffee with Ron. He showed me the pics from Saturday and burned me a DVD of them right there in the cafe - gotta love technology. Came home and found the girl in a cleaning frenzy, desperate to organize the bedroom so that we could have a sanctuary while the rest of the house was being organized. We had the Hawks' game on, but there's only so much torment a fan can take. I want to root for them, but it is so very hard when they suck.

I removed part of the pantry area baseboard so that Rae's bookcase could slide in perfectly, and hung pictures. We printed out a few of the black & white family pics and, after a brief trip to Northwest Art & Frame, put them in frames to be put on the wall. Yes, the girl has made the wall. Only appropriate, since she's kinda living here and all.

Tyler and I were supposed to play City of Heroes, but his computer was possessed by demons, so we had to bag that plan. We were both very disappointed. But we had a soft taco assembly line dinner with the kids and Sunday night television before heading to bed to kick off a new week.

I think it was late Sunday night or early Monday morning when the secondary clothes rod in the master bedroom closet popped the wall anchor clean out and collapsed under the weight of many girl clothes. I kept hearing Scotty in my head: "She cannae take no more!" We're looking for alternative shelving for sweaters so she can fee up dresser space for pants, thus taking a lot of weight off the clothes rod. Meanwhile, I will try to repair the bracket and strengthen it, but there's only so much a drywall anchor can do.

Monday was back to work & school. I was a mad, errand-running fool. With a gift for rhyme, apparently. Raechelle mentioned wanting to go out to dinner for the Dine Around Seattle promotion, wherein participating restaurants offer a frou-frou three-course meal for $30. So I got Kayleigh to hang-out with another friend for the evening and we went to Etta's and had a lovely dinner date.

Today is more proactivity, with a Goodwill run and hopefully a lot of writing on the OA pilot. I have my goth playlist blasting in the office as I type this, trying to get me into Angels mode. We have a script meeting Thursday night. Then movie night on Friday, Rae's friend's wedding on Saturday, and the Hawks/Skins game on Sunday (aka Suckfest '08. Sigh).

And Monday, dear readers, will mark our six-month anniversary. Where does the time go?

Quickie for Tuesday

Had a massage yesterday. Good times. Finally got Tyler to go with me to Target and pick out some clothes he'll wear. Had a good evening with the kids and an episode of Buffy.

Had a long, hot shower to relax at bedtime, slept right through to my alarm at 6:30 this morning. Ran errands, took TBGE to lunch, took Tyler to his therapist, took Kayleigh on a Goodwill run (dropping off, not accumulating). Now all the stuff from the carport that was on my front porch is gone. Result!

We dropped by the deli on the way home, so it'll be dinner and more Buffy tonight. That Angel can be a real bastard when he doesn't have a soul. And stop slouching, ya stoopid vampire!

I'm done driving for the day, thanks. My feet hurt. And my right bicep has been in spasm for the past 48 hours - pretty annoying. Waaaaa, cry, bitch, whine, moan. Okay, I'm done. Delicious deli food is calling my tummy to its nefarious service.

A Good Weekend

We had a pretty good weekend...

Except for the part where we were glued to CNN and The Weather Channel, watching Ike updates. And waiting for any communication from Rae's folks (they survived - their roof didn't, but they did - we're so glad they're okay!).

And the part where the Seahawks sucked and got beaten at home by the Forty-Friggin'-Niners.

And the part where we went to the Bamboo Grill for dinner last night, and our server dropped off the food and immediately went to attend to the large party next to us without finding out if we needed anything else and I waited for fifteen minutes for anyone to check on us but no one did and finally as Kayleigh and Raechelle were almost finished and my burger was getting cold I went to the bar and got my own mustard thankyouverymuch, only to find out that the burger was totally undercooked and I ended up sending it back and having it comped on the check.

[deep breath]

So yeah, when the manager is busing your table and apologizing for his shite service, you know they're having a rough time. I didn't raise a fuss, nor did I leave a tip.

Friday night was a zombie movie fest, with pizza and wine. Fun times.

We drove up to Bellingham on Saturday to drop an old family gate-leg table at my sister's home, then went to Greek food and window shopped awhile. Then we dropped by my grandparents' place on our way out of town. Great visit, a nice drive, phenomenal weather, good bonding time with my girls.

Raechelle has indoctrinated Kayleigh into the COJ (Cult of the Organizational Junkie), and the two of them overhauled the front room last night. Earlier that morning, we'd gone to Home Despot and pulled some paint samples for the master bedroom. We settled on a two-color scheme (opposite walls). All day long, Rae planned Kay's birthday party with her.

With all of our tales about Raechelle getting more comfortable in our situation, I sometimes forget that I'm still out here on the path myself. And I did something symbolic today that was kind of a huge step. For the three-plus years Sam's been gone, I kept my old wedding band on my keyring with my keys. This morning, as Rae was getting ready for work, I removed the ring from among my keys and put it away.

Apparently, I no longer need the security of that symbol on my person at all times.

Methinks this is getting serious.

And, surprise surprise, I'm okay with that.

Weekendus Updatus

Friday 8/29

Big football get-together. Raechelle, Kayleigh and I hosted some friends from each of our crowds, thus beginning the cross-pollination process. Seahawks steamrolled the Raiders. I thought my loyalties might have been somewhat divided, but although I don't mind seeing the Raiders do well, I'm not sad watching them suck. There was much pizza, beer, and/or margaritas. Ay carumba!

Saturday 8/30

Raechelle stayed Friday night, and we headed out early (for us) to check out a house owned by Raechelle's ex's girlfriend ("Programs! Get yer programs! Can't tell the players without a program!"). Then we went to Doug & Ann's engagement party at Gillian's at Lake Union. A nice buffet, arcade tokens for the kids, a car made of chocolate and tiramasu, and plenty of pool. We took off a bit early due to fatigue and a bit of "buyer's remorse" from Friday's margaritas. So of course, when we'd dropped the kids at Gavin's for their Star Wars RPG, where did we go for dinner? Maharaja. Yeah, a little Indian food really settles the stomach.

About then, we began to get a bit of a second wind, and walked across the street to The Corner Pocket, where Travis bought us a round and Raechelle and I played another 4 games of pool. We picked Kayleigh up at 11PM and Tyler stayed at Gavin's overnight.

Sunday 8/31

Sunday morning, I left Raechelle to sleep in while I had coffee with Ron. Came home in time to chat with Rae before she left to have lunch with Val. I got some school shopping homework and scheduling done, and when Raechelle came back from lunch, we headed out for school supplies and clothes. We returned in time to get started cleaning and organizing the master bedroom, then reheated some pizza and watched Cars and Raising Arizona.

Monday 9/1

Labor Day! We slept in, then went to Home Depot to pick up a hand towel ring for the half bath and a bath towel rod for my bathroom (because some chick has been hanging her towels over the shower curtain and they're getting in the way). We met up with DJ at Noon to look at three houses. Still no luck. Then it was Thai for lunch and a mad whirlwind of cleaning and organizing. Lots of triggers, but I did really well, if I do say so myself. we finally got to a stopping point at dinner time, and went down to Southcenter for dinner and a quick trip to Guitar Center (as this time, not only my capo disappeared - it seems to have taken the tuner with it).

Home just in time for the train wreck that is Gossip Girl (similar to the feeling I get when I watch old Ed Wood movies), then to bed.

It was a productive weekend, not just from cleaning and sorting and organizing, but from some really positive relationship steps. Whodathunkit?

Another Hurdle Cleared

After sitting in some really weird highway 99 traffic, I managed to take Western Ave. (which is never faster than 99) and arrived at Raechelle's a mere half hour later than expected. But I had wine, so that was nice for everyone. TBGE cooked a delicious chicken with mushroom sauté and green beans, and we looked through her old yearbooks/high school photos. She got me caught up on all of her old prom dates and crushes, fawning and smiling. It was very cute.

Guitar Night went amazingly smoothly. There was no discomfort on my end and it didn't appear to be on anyone else's. In addition to the standard songs in the Guitar Night Binder, I played an original from my recording days with And Tears Fell (which was well received), as well as a coffee house arrangement I've done of Depeche Mode's "Blasphemous Rumours". It was cool meeting Travis Metcalf and Chris Taylor (not the game designer), Sean McParland was a great host and kept the fire pit ablaze, and Shaun Darragh gave me bigger props than I ever would have expected by calling me "brother" upon my exit. When you get that from the girlfriend's "big bro", I think you're officially in the family.

Got home a bit later than expected, but not too bad. Got the pets fed and kids in bed, sent out a thank you email, and I was asleep when my head hit the pillow at 11:30.

And that's when the dreams began. Some really random and partly disturbing dreams, the last of which woke me at 5:30 AM. I drifted in and out of light sleep until 7:30, but my REM sleep was very much done for the night.

Taking a sushi picnic to Raechelle today. Weather should be excellent.

We're at 48 hours and counting 'til California.

Wonder Weekend

Holy crap, I'm exhausted.

Friday night, Raechelle and I hosted the football game at my place (good win, guys!). Ron, Dan & Trish came out and we had pizza and beer/wine. Kayleigh and her fanbear partook of the spectacle while Tyler hung out at Uncle Gavin's. After the ballgame, I showed Near Dark, which has been a cult film staple since college. Everybody was kinda "meh" about it for all the reasons I like it - it presents a unique (and uniquely American) take on the vampire movie without ever saying the V-word. We've promised to show Trish The Lost Boys next. Made in the same year, yet a very different vampire film (and shot in Santa Cruz, where we will be hanging out in less than a week).

Saturday, as Raechelle mentioned in her weekend wrap-up, we went to IKEA and were in and out like a surgical strike team made up of greased ninja. Then it was organization to the extreme, which meant Kayleigh's bedroom and my office. And organizing my office meant sorting a lot of papers. A lot of documents. Official documents. Like Sam's death certificates. And Raechelle had the patience of a saint, helping stack the various piles and being quick with a hug when needed.

We went to dinner at Spiro's, then headed over to Crazy For You. First summer show by Twelfth Night I've had absolutely nothing to do with (not even poster, program and/or video) since Bye Bye Birdie. While Raechelle reports only the Twelfth Night gals shouting my name and running up to hug me, what she fails to mention is the sheer number of burly guys doing the same. Guys like Raff, Mark Wissing and Travis Pavey (not so burly, but man can he French kiss... wha-??).

And how is my crowd (formerly Sam's crowd) accepting Todd's New Woman?

My observation was that people were either very outgoing and engaging, or very nonchalant (so as not to make a big deal about it), but nobody has displayed Bitter Beer Face or given any indication of dislike in any way - quite the reverse. They all want to see me happy, and if Raechelle makes me happy, then they LOVE her. Simple, really.

Plus, I found out that the aforementioned Mark Wissing is cooking down at the Swell now, so we will be having lunch there more often. And of course, Travis tends bar at the Corner Pocket - and since Raechelle is no longer going to the Lock-n-Keel, I feel obligated to take her to a happy place where we can play some pool and where I've known the bartender since he was Tyler's age.

We got home and it was straight to bed. Sunday morning was a quick home tour of a place near the Junction with some great views and a lot of great character. For the first time in the process, both Raechelle and I could see ourselves living happily there. It's still early on, and I told our agent that I want to look at more homes like this before making any decisions, but that I was interested enough to bring the kids back for a look.

We got home and had some breakfast. Raechelle and Kayleigh went to take Tyler over to Gavin's to hang out while we continued cleaning. After four hours of looking at the fire-damaged family photos featuring Sam or the kids when they were younger, and the copy of our first mortgage on the house, and a bunch of joint account information, I ran across a newspaper insert that said in big letters "Give Grandma What She Wants!" and I was done. You never know what triggers are going to finally ignite the bullet. The physical sorting is really a great metaphor for the sorting I'm doing emotionally (and I'm doing great!), but sometimes you just have to take a break.

By that time I'd really not eaten much, and 6'4" + not eating + sitting on the floor for long periods + standing up quickly = dizzy. So Raechelle offered to take us to Mexican food for dinner. We piled in Sportacus and headed down to the Guadalajara cafe down by Fauntleroy, then came home (with a brief stop at Target) and watched Blazing Saddles, which Raechelle had never seen. I'm doing a good job getting her all caught up.

And she spent her third night in a row here. I gotta say, it keeps getting easier and feels more natural all the time. And Kayleigh has been bonding with her like crazy. While she was in the shower getting ready for work, I walked down to Westwood and grabbed some coffee. Unfortunately mine took a header in my front yard, so I only got about 1/3 of my latte. Crap.

If and when we do move, I will miss walking a block to almost everything I need. But as I said back at the start of this new blog, it's time for new.

And now we start the countdown to California.

Stray Bullets

• Met Raechelle's sister Wendy last night. Due to some crossed wires on the proposed time and a cell phone left in a car, Kayleigh and I ended up going to The Swell first for happy hour appetizers because by that point we were hungry. And when TD is hungry and blood sugar is low, peasants beware the full fury of the dragon.
• So with the edge off my hunger and a pint of Manny's in me, I was in a much better mood when Raechelle and Wendy arrived. Wendy & I got along just fine, being a couple of freckled, redheaded Celts with similar opinions on alcohol, sports and sailing. And she and her husband used to live aboard a sailboat at Shilshole Marina briefly at the same dock as Volant! Curiouser and curiouser.
• Booked our trip to California. Now I just need to arrange for the housesitting.
• Today, I did the week's grocery shopping. Picked up some fresh sushi and took it to Raechelle's office for some lunch in the park (after adorning the whiteboard in her office with some dark clouds and lightning to compliment the drawing of "Raechelle's Mood Is:"). Sun, sushi and a hot chick by my side. Life is good.
• Have to replace our land line telephone. It is totally McFuggered. The cordless handset has been dropped so many times the battery cover is gone and the battery pack hangs out the back, and both the cordless and the corded desk handset deliver nothing but static.
• First OA series production meeting in a long while tonight. I'm looking forward to getting re-inspired. And I've written a few more scenes in the pilot script. It's coming together pretty well.

Please Don't Burn the House Down Again

One thing I neglected to mention is that on Saturday when we got back from Bellingham, we found an empty pot sitting on a stove burner set on high, and my 14yo son asleep in his room. He'd started to boil water for pasta, and apparently been distracted by the Sandman, leaving the water to boil off and the pot to roast on the hot burner for over two hours.

When confronted, his first response was to deny having done it, however faced with the fact that he was the only one in the house, he took responsibility and I banned him from any and all stove/oven/range use for a week.

So here we are Tuesday morning. I heard Tyler up and about (most likely having stayed up all night), and went into his room to remind him about our counseling appointment. Then I went upstairs to the kitchen to find... (wait for it)

A pot full of boiling pasta. Completely unattended.

Now, call me paranoid, but I'm just a tad obsessive about fire hazards and situations that could possibly, you know, burn the house down... AGAIN. I could have railed and stormed about, cursing my son's name and making my blood pressure spike. But I didn't. I'm actually pretty proud of myself. I didn't get angry, I didn't raise my voice, I didn't set a bad example by throwing a tantrum. I simply informed him that his punishment was doubled, then made sure he finished his cooking, turned everything off and cleaned up.

We've been having a continuous debate ranging all over the place ever since. He's a fighter, that kid. A master of absolutism and deflection and projection and hyperbole (where he gets that I couldn't tell you). He's also quite adept at standing in a hole of his own making and continuing to dig deeper. And what frosts his shorts most of all is when I'm calm and don't let him get a rise out of me. His kung fu is good, but mine is better.

I believe we have a counseling session today. Not a moment too soon.

Honestly, I love my kids, and that's why I care enough to stand up and challenge the frustrating slob-monster called Adolescence. The battles I choose now are going to be what makes the difference later. I know, because I was 14 once - incoherent, hormonal, dramatic and self-centered. But I was a good kid at the core, and had people around who knew it, and who kept me honest. And that's what I'm doing for my kids.

It's just a bit "grrrrrrrr" sometimes.

Sunday Wrap-Up

Friday night found us hunting down the motel where Kenni and Joel were staying, and showing them down to Anthony's on the waterfront. Real nice couple, fun conversation, good food. Raechelle had planned on paying for dinner, but Joel got sneaky and intercepted the check before she could even look at it. Well played, Joel.

By far the highlight of the dinner experience was when I got up to visit the men's room, and not for the simple pleasure of giving back the Pike ale I'd had with my meal. As I was standing at the urinal shaking the dew from the lilly, seeing a man about a horse, or whatever euphemism you'd care to use (and also watching the sports scores - sometimes it's cool to be a guy because in some restaurants you can watch TV while having a tinky), I heard the door open and a brief gasp of shock from over my left shoulder. The janitor who was mopping looked up and notified the non-male interloper, "this is the men's room." There was a pause as the info apparently sunk in, and I heard a familiar voice say in an embarrassed tone, "Oh, men's room!" followed by a nervous laugh and a quick exit. The following conversation then transpired:

Me: "Was that a 5'2" brunette?"

Janitor: "Jean jacket?"

Me: "Yeah."

Janitor: "She with you?"

Me: "Yeah."

Janitor: "That's awesome."

Me: "Yeah." [smile]

Later I found out that Raechelle had remarked (in the correct lavatory) that "the guy at the urinal was cute...", which is hilarious (and ever so sweet) because she didn't really realize it was me until much later.

We dropped Kenni and Joel back at the motel and headed home and straight to Cuddle City, population: 2. It'd been a stressful week and the girl was finally relaxing. Aside from a brief tussle with dinner in the middle of the night, she did okay, and we awoke ready to hit the road for Bellingham.

I'll leave it to Rae to post her own impressions of the trip, but for me it was a bit of a sensory overload. We met my mom, sister and niece at the Bellingham farmer's market, where I bought a sweet hemp long-sleeved T-shirt (or light sweatshirt), which not only looks awesome but apparently I can smoke it later.

Lunch at Boundary Bay, then my sister went to work and the ladies and I went to a women's consignment store. Imagine Raechelle's surprise when, within thirty seconds of entering the shop, I recognized the young, attractive counter clerk. Brittni Thoreson was in our production of Fiddler on the Roof back in 2005, and her dad Mike was the mastermind behind my Deathtrap set (as well as a fantastic Tevye in FotR). Still, it remains a running joke that I can't go anywhere without running into someone I know, especially cute actresses.

As far as being a guy and going shopping with my woman, which most guys bristle at, here's a couple nuggets of wisdom:

1. Guys who have the patience to go shopping with their women are rare. Doing so makes you look really good.
2. By going shopping with your woman, you can exert an opinion and tell her what you like her wearing, or conversely what looks frumpy. After all, if you look at her probably more than anyone else, why not point her toward something sexy? Ladies do the same for us all the time.

After a quick drop-in at Sara's work, we headed out to my grandparents' place near Lake Padden for pie and a quick visit. There were stories repeated, embarrassing family photos shared, and spontaneous folksinging. That was where the full weight of the day finally settled on me and I felt like we needed to hit the road before I fell into a coma.

Back at home, Raechelle took off for dinner with Jamie, and I took Tyler to his weekly game session at Gavin's followed by dinner for Kayleigh and me at Charlestown. I was asleep by 9:30.

Then I was up at 3AM when some vandals broke into the new multifamily building behind the licensing office and threw a bunch of computer monitors, microwaves and glass bottles from the roof. Sometimes you pay a price for having that prestigious Seattle address.

Up for coffee with Ron, picked up the latest Futurama movie on DVD, found out The Shield season 6 is out in just a few weeks. Came home to find Kayleigh had arranged an overnight with a friend. Went shopping for dinner stuff. Took K to friend's house. Gonna watch some John Adams before I have to get dinner started. Raechelle is here tonight.

And another action-packed week lies ahead! Including getting to meet Rae's sister Wendy on Tuesday, more house hunting on Thursday, and the first Hawks pre-season game in Minnesota on Friday night. We're having it on the projection screen, and some friends may be joining in.

Stay tuned, loyal readers!

P.S. Raechelle says my head doesn't smell like Thin Mints. So there's that.

The Birds, and Better Know Your Todd

As most of you know, I love summer nights at Alki, if only because I obnoxiously point it out every thirty seconds. So when Kayleigh asked if we could go get some dinner at Pegasus and then feed the birds, I said, "hells yeah!"

Here's the trick: go during the week, when it's not crowded. On weekends, you can be assured of a complete absence of parking spots within four or five blocks of your destination.

So we had daddy/daughter time at Pegasus and then took our leftover garlic bread out to the waterfront and started tossing pieces on the concrete. Within seconds, we had an Alfred Hitchcock scene in our hands. A horde of pigeons (yes, I know a group of pigeons isn't technically a "horde", but they kind of resembled invading Mongols, so I stick by my terminology), and a gang of tough seagulls moved in, getting quite animated over the scraps of bread. Just the sort of thing Raechelle loves only slightly more than having schools of fish nibble the dead skin off her feet at a fancy spa.

Hung out with Tyler a bit and watched some TV, then folded laundry (on my recently cleaned downstairs countertop). Got a call from Dave Alpern, whom I've known for almost a decade and have never met. He's in town with family and we'll be getting together Wednesday night for dinner and Erin McNamee at the Swell. Raechelle will be staying out here anyway, and she happens to like Erin, so it's a party.

And speaking of the girl, I've been made aware that some of her folk aren't all that sure of what I do for a living. So I thought I could cover the basics real quick like:

1) I run Deep7, LLC, a publishing company that I founded with Samantha and Ron in 1999. We have over 30 published titles to our credit, including the official Red Dwarf roleplaying game.

2) I do freelance graphic design. Keep in mind I haven't updated the portfolio site since the week before Samantha died. Sometimes I do CD packaging for bands, or posters for plays.

3) I'm transitioning into full time film direction (having several screenplays and a number of short films like this one to my credit, as well as a feature and television series being pitched or in development).

I've been making money in art since I was 14 and published my first 'zine. I've been paid for both acting and voiceover work. My first full-length film (directed as a junior in high school) was featured on a PBS young directors series back in 1986. I spent a decade in the videogame industry as a concept artist and art director before getting my soul back. My work has appeared in titles from Microsoft, Sierra and Boss Game Studios. I wrote, directed and voiced animated shorts for multimedia innovators Hyperbole Studios. I once wrote full time for a year and a half, selling some short stories to various genre magazines and getting a novel optioned by Warner Books. I authored a comic strip that ran in newspapers and later on the web. I co-owned a geek boutique at the West Seattle Junction. I recorded 3 albums for an indie record label in the SF Bay Area and a bunch more on my own label. Chances are, if it has to do with the commercial aspect of art, I've done it at some point.

I think that about covers it.

Quick Bullets for Sunday Night

• Raechelle came over on Saturday afternoon. We walked to the store and got a few things for her marvelous baked spaghetti.
• Tyler was hanging at Gavin's, so the girls and I watched the SNL Best of Alec Baldwin DVD, followed by 50 First Dates (my favorite of Adam Sandler's romcoms, probably due to the presence of Drew Barrymore, Sean Astin and Dan Aykroyd), and then Airplane!. Chuckles akimbo.
• Had a good heart-to-heart with Raechelle, and I'm happy to say we're back on the same page. It's good.
• My stomach was still bugging me late Saturday night, so I pinged Ron to tell him I'd be a no-show for Sunday morning coffee and had a late sleep-in instead.
• Cleaned a bit, played some guitar for Raechelle - I'll be able to accompany her on "Angel From Montgomery" with a bit more practice. I love playing and hearing her sing along with me.
• Played her some New Model Army from their (IMHO) best album, Thunder And Consolation. Almost have "Green and Grey" worked out on the acoustic.
• Took Rae & the kids to lunch at Red Robin at Southcenter. Tyler slept in the car (he's on his own food schedule). Then we went and saw WALL-E. Pixar does it again. Great job, Mark! I swear each of these films gets more technically brilliant, and never loses Pixar's hallmark character design and story development.
• Came home, took a short nap, got Raechelle packed up and on the road. Had a low-key Sunday night with the Simpsons & Family Guy.
• More plans for the week, but not feeling as much pressure to cram the schedule full. Raechelle will probably be here one night during the week and then we have Friday night plans with a visiting Texas friend and a day trip to Bellingham on Saturday.
• But first, let's get the week handled...
  

I'm With the Band

TJ Sherrill @ Hotwire North

So after dealing with a full day of stomach issues (yet still somehow able to do a load of laundry, a load of dishes and get Tyler to and from school), I decided to brave another live music night.

This time, I would be taking Raechelle and Kayleigh, an all-ages show and not ending too terribly late. I almost canceled, but thought it would be a Good Thing (TM) to get out there and support my friends. Picked Raechelle up at her place and headed up to Shoreline in the rental car. Had a quick dinner at Shari's. Even though I was starving, I could only eat a small portion of the giant plate of comfort food. I did drink about 4 Sprites, which helped settle me some.

Mmmmm. Leather chairs.

Got to the Hotwire North just before the show. Talked with Kyle about Duo and not only his track but also about him producing Raechelle's song for the soundtrack. Saw Brian Meredith and his 8yo daughter. After a few songs by TJ Sherrill, we switched seats and ended up next to the stage in a couple leather chairs. Kayleigh climbed up on my lap and we cuddled through the sets. Raechelle snapped a pic of us with her phone...

TD & his little girl

Kyle Stevens @ Hotwire North

TJ and Kyle are similarly-styled singer-songwriters (the difference being Kyle also fronts a rock band). They are both talented, and really own their instruments on stage. Kyle has a bit more energy, moving around and really rockin' the ol' acoustic. And he did a cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" that rocked our balls off. Amazing cover, really.

The Hotwire Cafe, being a coffee/internet joint, provided the customary noisy, boisterous environment you'd expect, however TJ and Kyle had enough presence that I was really able to ignore the hiss of the espresso machines and coffee orders being called. It was a fine, energetic acoustic set.

Dropped Raechelle at her apartment and headed home immediately. Kayleigh collapsed in her bed, Tyler in his, and I popped online long enough to check my girl's blog (as she mentioned doing a post last night), and was happy to see this. Went to sleep calmer and more serene than I have been all week, and before my bedside clock said 10:30. Slept straight through 'til 7AM with no disturbance.

And this morning I get to drive back up to Shoreline to pick up Sportacus. Damn squirrels.

Bullets.

• Got a hold of the health insurance rep with the county. He took some info, and is sending the applications. We're on the road to becoming insured again.
• Got the grocery shopping done for the week. And I remembered to bring my huge canvas bag full of more canvas bags.
• Spent the entire day either on the phone or in email exchanges.
• Boiled the two-dozen extra eggs we had left over after Katherine's last visit. I made egg salad and had a couple hard boiled for lunch. We'll devil the rest.
• Feeling overwhelmed and not in the most benign frame of mind. This, in direct contrast to my public persona. I'm thinking once we're insured again, some intensive one-on-one counseling would be a good idea. I left Gilda's because the group thing was no longer valuable, but have neglected the single therapy due to the fact that I systematically put my own needs aside when running my household, raising my kids and engaging in a relationship. And I need to not do that.
• My left pinky-toe has been fractured and stubbed so often throughout my life that it has a tendency to spontaneously split the nail (regardless of contact with any foreign surface; the nail bed is just that damaged). So I have two halves of a toenail, both anchored to the nail bed, but also flapping about. I need to bandage it up and wait for the nail to grow out enough to pluck the bad half from the nail bed. Until then, it just hurts like a sumbitch. Amazing that often the tiniest wounds cause the greatest aggravation.
  
• Right now, I would love to rent out my kids and go off to the Pacific coast for a few days to decompress alone. Split pinky-toe and all. Just rest and get my head in order.
  
• Did I mention overwhelmed?
• Trespassers William is not the best music to listen to when feeling dark and/or melancholy, but screw it - it's cathartic.
  
• Boo hoo bitch whine moan groan.

Independence Day

Got various Asian foods for dinner last night. Tyler actually awoke to eat. Raechelle arrived with her vacation suitcase in hand and a bag of last-minutes from Target (one of them being a new case for her digital camera). She wanted to stay up late in order to be able to sleep better on the plane, so we popped in The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (another must-see for film geeks, as it's such a great parody of cheesy sci-fi/horror flicks of the late '50s/early '60s).

Then I put in some Extras. The girl seemed to like 'em. It's like The Office, but for the film industry.

Note to self: sharing a bottle of wine = good. Sharing two bottles of wine = bad.

Ended up getting about 2 hours sleep, then woke up and got Raechelle to the airport. Halfway there, Raechelle realized she'd left her camera in its new case at my house. We joked that "it's not really a vacation unless you leave something at home." I suggested she get something specifically travel related that she could leave at home on purpose in the future.

Came home and was too wired from having driven to the airport to go back to sleep. Poked around online for awhile. Then went downstairs to collapse, only to have my cell phone start blowing up with texts. Family plans, sister pinging from Paris, friends and their dreams.

I tossed and turned until about 10AM and decided to give up. Plus, I hadn't had anything to eat yet. Still haven't. I'm in a "grrr" place right now, and I'm not sure if it's because I'm hungry, tired, or sans girlfriend for a whole week. [shrug] Well, two of those I can do something about, so here goes.

Oh, Dan got a revised Duo budget off to Titan yesterday - we'll see what they think.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Productivity Without Overachievement

I was much more productive yesterday than I thought I would be. That's always nice, when you can surprise yourself.

It was still bloody hot yesterday, so I set up camp in the screening room, which is the coolest room in the upstairs half of the house. The big back window was wide open. I left the artificial light off and let the sun outside do its job. And I opened the Ordinary Angels series pilot script and got some more written. Some good material, I think.

Later on I took a break from angels and fallen, and finished a piece of music I've been working on. Two, actually. My woman fell in love with this track by The Cardigans, and I'd been working on some variants to the bar chords I have no end of trouble with. The idea is that we'll actually perform an acoustic set at some point, and she wants to do that song.

Some other stuff happening on the publishing side, and I really need to talk to my brother about it. But hey - I'll have a whole week apart from Raechelle to sort out business stuff. Speaking of the girl, I'm abducting her for lunch today, and tomorrow we're having dinner at The Swell with one of her bestest buds.

Onward.

Huzzah!

The Charlestown Cafe has re-opened! After much drama and community outcry over the proposed development of a Petco where this West Seattle family restaurant icon stands, and a fire which closed its doors for five months, one of our favorite family establishments is back in business.

Awesome!